Tam Valley teachers use a variety of curricular materials to support students in meeting the State standards. Our curriculum begins with the State Adopted Programs in Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies, and is supplemented and enriched according to student needs.
• Children are taught to read using a balanced approach that integrates all aspects of the reading process. In the primary grades the emphasis is on phonics, decoding, fluency and comprehension. In upper grades the focus is on reading comprehension.
• Teachers use “best practices” such as mini-lessons, shared reading, guided reading, independent reading with conferring, book clubs, book talks and comprehension strategy instruction.
• Teachers encourage students’ love for reading by making reading meaningful and fun.
• Children learn that reading is thinking and that all good readers use strategies.
• Our reading program is based on the work of professional educators such as Ken and Yetta Goodman, Lucy Calkins, Marie Clay, Regie Routman, Fountas & Pinnell, Ellin Oliver Keene and others.
Please continue here for more information on the District’s Reading and Writing Curriculum Standards.
Highlights of our Writing Program
• Students learn both the conventions and craft of writing through meaningful and relevant writing projects.
• Children are encouraged to write for many different purposes and in a variety of genres: stories, memoir, poetry, essays, research projects, etc.
• Teachers use “best practices” such as mini-lessons, shared writing, mentor pieces, guided writing, independent writing with conferring, author studies and genre studies.
• Our Writing program is based on the work of professional educators such as Lucy Calkins, Donald Graves, Shelley Harwayne, Nancie Atwell, Katie Wood Ray, and others.
• Teachers use a variety of technology programs and tools to enhance the curriculum.
• Each teacher has a laptop for planning, teaching lessons, assessing and communicating with parents.
• There are currently two mobile laptop carts, one with 20 student laptops and one with 30 student laptops. Teachers can check these carts out and provide their classes with laptops for research and projects.
• Our Librarian integrates the use of the technology, creating a robust Library/Media program.
• The P.E. program’s long-term goal is to instill in every student a life long joy of physical activity.
• Character Education and team building are inter-related and taught year-round.
• The Curriculum is based on State Physical Education Standards and includes both team sports and non-traditional topics, such as dance and orienteering.
Assessment and evaluation are integral parts of the teaching and learning cycle. Teachers use a variety of assessments to identify students’ needs as learners. At Tam Valley, we view assessment as a tool for understanding the learner and informing instruction. There are four different types of assessments used throughout the school year to gather information about our students’ progress.
•Classroom-based Assessments
Teachers utilize assessments on an on-going basis to ensure that students are learning. They also use the data from assessments to plan future lessons. These assessments are often designed by the teachers themselves.
•District-wide Assessments
There are several assessments that are given to all students across the District at specific times of the year. The purpose of these assessments is to provide our teachers with the opportunity to review assessment results with colleagues from other schools and share ideas.
o K-3 Reading Assessment: November, March and June
o Fourth Grade Writing Assessment: January
o Fifth Grade Portfolio: May
California State Standardized Test (CST) – PART OF STAR TESTING
The CST is a standardized test given in the spring of each year to all students in grades two through twelve. The results from this test provide our District with a broad understanding of how students are doing overall. It also provides a way to identify those students who are not achieving proficiency on these tests so that schools can address these students’ needs. It is not the type of assessment that provides teachers with specific information about each child’s learning.
Conferences and Report Cards
Regular communication between teachers and parents is important to the academic and social development of each child. The school year is divided into trimesters and a progress report is given at the end of each trimester. At the beginning of November, parents are invited to a parent-teacher conference to discuss their child’s progress during the first trimester and to receive the child’s first progress report. Teachers send home a progress report in March and June.
STUDENT SUPPORT PROGRAMS
Our goal as educators is to ensure that all students are learning. In the event that a child is not meeting academic standards, there is a pyramid of support that we have in place that provides both teachers and parents with strategies and a plan for how to support a particular child. The first level of support takes place in the regular classroom where the teacher differentiates the instruction and activities for students to meet their individual needs. However, sometimes a teacher’s attempts to intervene and support may not be enough.
Student Study Team (SST)
A Student Study Team (SST) is comprised of the classroom teacher, the parent, the principal, the Special Education teachers, the School Psychologist the School Counselor, and the Reading and Math Program Teacher (when applicable). The team works collaboratively to understand the child’s strengths and areas of need and then to create a plan of action.
RAMP Program
In some cases, the student is referred to our RAMP (Reading and Math Support Program) for a period of focused and targeted instruction. If, after the classroom support and the RAMP support, the child continues to not meet standards, an evaluation by the Resource Teacher and School Psychologist may be deemed appropriate by the SST team.
Special Education
If the child qualifies for Special Education under the Federal and State Guidelines, the child may be eligible for one or more services such as our Resource Program, Speech and Language Therapy or Occupational Therapy. If the child does not qualify for these programs, the SST team develops an alternate intervention plan.
GATE Program
In some cases, instead of needing intervention to support learning, students excel in certain areas of the curriculum and need activities and lessons that meet their learning needs. Although the Mill Valley School District does not offer a formal Gifted and Talented program at the elementary level, teachers differentiate their instruction within the classroom by providing lessons, activities or projects that are appropriate for the individual student’s level.
In fourth grade, with permission from parents, students are given a test to determine if they qualify for the GATE cluster in fifth grade. If they do qualify, they are placed in the same class with other GATE students so that they have ongoing opportunities to work with like-minded peers. A formal GATE program is offered once the students reach the Mill Valley Middle School.
